BEYOND MAN AND TIME

RPWL started as a Pink Floyd tribute band. They still wear this influence on their sleeves, but have since broaden the pallette to include introspective ballads, U2-type anthemic pop-rockers, Eastern motifs, progressive version of indie/ alternative rock in the vein of Radiohead or Porcupine Tree, etc. Beyond man and time is so far their best work, a concept album that could be read like a textbook on history of philosophy, one of the smartest concept in modern prog to make their Floydian fathers proud, even though it was difficult to realize into lyrics and inspired by a controversial source, the tragicomic figure of Nietzsche (Beyond man and time is a quote from his Thus Spoke Zaratushtra).

If the album's beginning make you feel it's too meek, don't despair. The "meat" is in the middle, with bombastic Ugliest man in the world, surprisingly funky The Shadow and more alternative rock-sounding The road of creation and Wise in the desert, with smart variations in pace and heaviness. If a thing annoys me it's the penchant for distorting/muffling vocals and production, which otherwise is very clear, even minimalistic at times, with ample space between instruments.